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Predictably named iPavement puts hotspots into the sidewalk
We know what it's like to be in a foreign country without a mobile internet connection. Although there are domestic options making it easier to connect our devices abroad, Spanish company iPavement wants to help confused tourists (and their confused devices) by seamlessly integrating hotspots into tiles -- which are seamlessly integrated into the ground. It's unclear whether users will have open access to the entire world wide web, or only controlled info about the city, but the service is at least free to use. The 24kg (53lb) tiles are slightly larger than normal, installed a maximum of 20 meters (66 feet) from one another and only work at temperatures between -10 - 45 degrees Celsius (14 - 113 degrees Fahrenheit). Touristy cloud apps like maps, coupons, and traffic updates in various languages are also a part of the deal, and you would look like less of a tourist without that huge guide to Madrid. Just lose the fanny pack and you'll be set.
NetZero launches '4G' wireless service, we go hands-on
Remember NetZero? Today the company announced that it's launching NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband, a wireless service rolling out in 80 US cities and offering value-priced monthly data plans without activation fees, contracts, commitments or overage charges. Customers can chose between two levels of service -- Lightspeed (up to 1Mbps down / 384Kbps up) to conserve data and Warpspeed (up to 10Mbps down / 1.5Mbps up) for maximum performance -- and can switch back and forth by simply logging into NetZero's website (this can take up to 15 minutes). Five monthly data plans are available: Free, $0, 200MB (limited to Lightspeed and limited to one year) Basic, $9.95, 500MB (limited to Lightspeed) Plus, $19.95, 1GB Pro, $34.95, 2GB Platinum, $49.95, 4GBTwo devices are offered -- the NetZero 4G Stick ($49.95 + shipping) is a Windows and OS X-compatible USB modem and the NetZero 4G Hotspot ($99.95 + shipping) is an eight device-capable WiFi hotspot with an LCD and a 2,200mAh battery.So far, so good -- NetZero is becoming an MVNO. Yet strangely, there's no mention in any of the PR as to which network the company is using. We test drove NetZero's new wireless service over the weekend using the WiFi hotspot and figured out that it's using Clearwire's WiMAX network. In fact NetZero's 4G Stick is identical to the Clear 4G Mobile USB modem (manufactured by Ubee), and its 4G Hotspot is the same as the Clear Spot Apollo (a rather bulky unit made by Gemtek)-- see the FCC links below and read on for our impressions after the break.
Japanese vending machine doubles as WiFi hotspot -- no purchase required
It looks as if facial scans for snack-dispensing purposes isn't the only mind-blowing feature on the whiz-bang generation of vending machines. Japanese company Asahi has just unveiled an advanced dispenser that's capable of doubling as a WiFi hotspot, so good luck getting through the mobs of leechers just to buy a soda. The machine sends out the internet waves free of charge and covers about 164 feet around it; of note, there's a 30-minute limit on each session -- but it's nothing that a fresh login can't solve. Asahi is planning on rolling out 1,000 of these in the upcoming year, but if you don't call the Land of the Rising Sun your home, you won't be able to experience the smart vendors anytime soon. Now, if only this same magic would slide over to park benches, blades of grass and molecules of oxygen, we'd be content.
Starbucks brews up free, two-click WiFi in the UK
If your work environment consists of coworkers constantly yelling "venti half-caf red eye" across the "office," then you'll be pleased to know that Starbucks has made it faster and easier to get online. By extending its free one-click two-click WiFi service to 650 stores in the UK, over caffeinated Brits will now be able to access gratis internet without having to sign up for a Starbucks Rewards card -- a former requirement on the coffee conglomerate's BT Openzone network. Now, if we could only find a chair...
HTC pushes a Windows Phone through FCC, Mango launch close at hand?
Phones approved by the FCC are seldom so upfront about the OS they run on, but HTC decided to go against the status quo in its latest filing to the government agency. A quick perusal of the FCC filings show a handset tested for 850 / 1900 GSM -- standard 2G bands for AT&T and T-Mobile -- and no WCDMA frequencies in the US. There's one detail in the docs, however, that stands out like a sore thumb: this device, the HTC PI39110, is listed as a Windows Phone. What's more, the paperwork also mentions the inclusion of a "WiFi hotspot," which likely is the mobile hotspot feature confirmed to be supported by Mango. HTC hasn't announced any devices that run on the updated OS yet, but this particular gem could very well be the long-rumored Eternity. While it probably won't make its way to the US, this is at least a solid indicator that Windows Phone 7.5 is coming soon to more parts of the globe.
Mango teaches Windows Phone to share, probably still needs carrier permission
Microsoft's budding mobile OS is finally learning to share, just like the big kids. Windows Phone's graduation to Mango comes not only with Twitter integration, SkyDrive music streaming, and multitasking, but with internet connection sharing as well. The new feature showed its toggle switch at WPCentral this week, riding in on a Microsoft flashed Focus running Mango build 7720.68. According to the tell-all image, Windows Phones running Mango will be able to share their cellular internet connection with up to 5 devices -- reportedly draining its battery with unprecedented efficiency. ChevronWP7 collaborator Rafael Rivera confirmed over Twitter that the feature is baked into Mango, guessing that it would require a "carrier 'update' to enable." Yeah, we wouldn't be surprised. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nintendo opens 5,000 free WiFi hotspots across the pond, connects your 3DS to The Cloud
Still fuming over that 3DS price drop despite the Big N's conciliatory make-goods? If you happen to be a resident gamer in the UK, tack some 5,000 free WiFi hotspots onto the company's apology. According to a report from International Business Times, the service, backed by BSkyB-controlled The Cloud, goes live today, bringing users access to all the console's usual online features and should come in handy when in-game DLC becomes available later this year. No doubt the move from Nintendo's British outfit is intended to add a little purchase incentive to the DS' underwhelming successor, as well as boosting the gaming giant's own declining earnings. No matter, with twenty free games and gratis WiFi -- it's looking good to be an early adopter.
iPass wants a world of interconnected WiFi, a roaming 'renaissance'
Some ideas are undeniably sensible, and zero-click WiFi roaming across carriers and countries is one of them. That's why iPass has set itself the unenviable but likely profitable task of convincing global telecoms giants to overlook their differences and form an "Open Mobile Exchange" based on its cloud-based authentication technology. It won't be the first to embark on such a voyage of persuasion: Skype is already on the case and Boingo is too (at least, sort of), but there are still plenty of fragmented hotspot services out there waiting to be crushed and blended by an effortless roaming technology. We just hope iPass has perfected its pleading email template: "Dearest Carrier, have you considered...?" Full PR after the break.
Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM connects to WiFi, plans your Great American vacation
How do you spice up a standalone GPS in a market that just isn't pining for 'em any longer? If you're Magellan, that's easy -- you take a smartphone, gimp voice and app capabilities and, voila!, you have the RoadMate 5175T-LM. Eerily similar to its Garmin rival, this slab boasts a full WVGA display, WiFi (you know, for that inbuilt web browser) and AAA travel planning. Purportedly, those fine, fine amenities will enable you to "go from the car to the boardroom to the hotel," and maybe even on that cross-country trip, too. Judging by its built-in tour guide functionality and heavy emphasis on the suit-and-tie demo, we'd say Magellan's aiming this one at the fifty and over set. This shortlist of features doesn't come cheap, either -- with a $299.99 price tag, we'd understand if your wallet was eyeing greener pastures. Full PR gush after the break -- you're welcome, GPS enthusiasts.
Verizon prolongs its free hotspot party on 4G LTE phones, but then what?
If you've been maxing out on Verizon's mobile hotspot offer that came with your new Samsung Droid Charge, HTC Thunderbolt or LG Revolution, then do carry on. The offer has been extended again, letting you use your 4G LTE handset as a WiFi hotspot for free until July 6th. On that miserable day, a software update will pull the plug and then who knows how much you'll have to pay? Verizon says its $20/GB tethering charge won't apply to 4G LTE phones, but it doesn't state exactly how much it will cost. Oh well, who needs 12Mbps anyway?
NTT DoCoMo announces 24 new mobile wonders (yes, really) to flood its network
So, Japan... want a new mobile device? How about 24? This grandiose announcement comes straight from NTT DoCoMo, which commonly lays its cards on the table for the delight of consumers. Among the selection you'll find eight new Gingerbread phones, six incredibly high-res shooters (ranging between 12.2 and 16.3 megapixels), eight waterproof handsets, and one embedded with Swarovski crystals. We're particularly thrilled to see the mighty Galaxy S II, 3D-capturing Aquos SH-12C, 700-nit Optimus Bright (contrastingly-named but nearly identical to the Optimus Black), ultra-slim MEDIAS WP N-06C, and mobile payment-enabled Xperia Acro. Oh, and don't forget about the LOOX F-07C -- a multi-talented handset that's running Symbian and Windows 7 Home Premium -- while two LTE-enabled WiFi routers are sneaking into DoCoMo's party, too. That's a lot to absorb, so check out the source for individual release timeframes, which begin now and continue through August -- or just check out the PR after the break.
Comcast launches Xfinity 3G / 4G MiFi for $25
Comcast teamed up with Clearwire to bring WiMAX to the masses a couple of years ago, and now the company is jumping on the bandwidth-sharing bandwagon by offering a mobile hotspot. It's the same Novatel 3G/4G MiFi from Sprint that's been putting internet access in our pockets for a month, only this one sports an Xfinity badge and cheaper price tag. While the Now Network version costs $80, Comcast's Internet 2go customers get the device for $25 on a one-year contract. Plus service is only $40 a month for the same Clearwire coverage that costs $50 from Sprint. Sounds like a winning WiMAX combination to us.
ZTE Peel 3200 joins Virgin Mobile's broadband bargain bin
If you own an iPod Touch, you know that finding a wifi hotspot in the outside world is more precious than gold. How much would it be worth to have such a treasure with you all of the time? Virgin Mobile thinks it's worth $100, the cost of the quietly-launched ZTE Peel 3200. If the name sounds familiar, that's because Sprint has been offering the 3G mobile-hotspot-in-a-case since November. The only difference between the two -- aside from the logos -- is the number that follows the dollar sign. Compared to Sprint's $80 offering, Virgin's model tragically demands a larger share of your wallet than its twin brother, and only offers one prepaid plan of 500 MB per month for $20. That's not too shabby if you're a casual user looking for a bargain, but it certainly isn't ideal for those of us data guzzlers who voraciously download every Engadget podcast. And we almost forgot the important part: the Peel will only fit on second and third-gen iPod Touch models, so take a quick glance at your device to make sure it's compatible before you click that "buy now" button. [Thanks, Eli]
Houston grandmother becomes host of first 'super WiFi' hotspot, proves you're never too old for wireless
This ain't your grandma's WiFi -- that is, unless your grandma is 48 year-old Leticia Aguirre. The Houston woman became the host of the very first "super WiFi" hotspot, earlier this week -- the new network takes advantage of unused UHF TV channels to bring internet service to underserved communities. In collaboration with researchers at Rice University, a Houston-based non-profit fittingly referred to as Technology for All (TFA), facilitated the setup and is in the process of deploying more whitespace hotspots across the area. The FCC approved use of whitespace for the new "super WiFi" back in September of last year. Full PR after the break.
Wi-Fi Alliance launches hotspot certification program, aims to ease cell-to-WiFi handoff woes
If you've been paying even a slight bit of attention to carriers over the past year and change, you'd know that a number of 'em are resorting to citywide WiFi networks in order to relieve some of the stress being placed on their 3G networks. It's definitely a viable solution for a problem that requires oodles to time (and far too many signatures) to plant new cell sites, but there's a looming issue: compatibility. Naturally, the Wi-Fi Alliance is all over it, today launching an initiative to transform the user experience in hotspots. The Wi-Fi Certified hotspot testbed will address authentication and provision of service for public WiFi networks, essentially acting to "facilitate the seamless handoff of cellular traffic from smartphones, tablets and other portable electronics to WiFi, helping service providers manage demands on constrained licensed spectrum." We're told that the program will allow devices to "discover and automatically choose networks based upon user preferences, operator policies and network optimization," and in many cases, they'll be automatically granted access to the network based upon credential mechanisms, such as SIM cards. Hard to say what this will mean for limits and structuring, but we're bound to find out more as the 1H 2012 target launch date draws nearer. Full release is after the break, per usual.
AP photographer uses MyWi to cover Bahrain protests
James Lawler Duggan, a photojournalist from Washington, D.C., used his jailbroken iPhone 3GS and MyWi 4.0 tethering software to transmit photos from Bahrain (warning: photos are graphic in nature). This week, police locked down the capital of this small Persian Gulf kingdom as demonstrators prepared to protest against the country's monarchy. After capturing several emotional photographs of the protests and violence, Duggan and his colleagues found the country's internet connectivity slowed to a halt. Duggan used his iPhone to overcome this obstacle and transmit his photos to the Associated Press wire in Cairo. "My jailbroken 3GS running MyWi 4.0 proved to be the only way for me to get the images to Cairo, and even still, the resolution had to be dropped significantly to squeeze them through the pipeline," Duggan told us via email. MyWi 4.0 from Intelliborn can transform any jailbroken iPhone or iPad into a mobile hotspot, allowing multiple laptops to connect to the internet through the device's 3G data service. It is available online for US$19.99. This week's events in Bahrain are the latest in a series of uprisings in the region. Duggan's ability to share images of the upheaval using his iPhone shows how technology has changed the way information is shared with the world.
MyWi OnDemand offers major connectivity upgrades for iPhone-as-hotspot (jailbreak)
For the last few years, MyWi has basically owned the iPhone-as-hotspot jailbreak market. With the app and a jailbroken iPhone or iPad, you could share your 3G or EDGE connection with other devices with just a few simple taps. Multiple laptops or other mobile devices could connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot at once. Now, MyWi OnDemand has been introduced by developers Intelliborn. It provides the same kind of easy-to-use connectivity, but it does so with a completely redesigned interface, providing functionality that's basically on steroids.
iPhone 4 to get AT&T mobile hotspot capabilities on February 13th?
So you might have noticed a few reviews of Verizon's iPhone 4 crop up last night, nothing unusual about that, but a couple of its reviewers have had something to say about AT&T's version of the phone as well. Walt Mossberg and David Pogue (who has since stricken the date from his review) both pinpoint February 13th as the date when they expect AT&T to turn on the Personal Hotspot capability that Verizon's iPhone will have from launch. That's expected to happen with an update to iOS 4.3, which recently went out to developers in its third beta iteration, suggesting the software's nearly mature enough for public consumption and seemingly fitting right into this timeline. Mind you, this is still not concrete information, as Mossberg could conceivably have been talking of AT&T's Mobile Hotspot app which is launching on the same day on devices like the Inspire 4G, and Pogue could have deleted the date for similar reasons, but we're somehow disinclined to believe that two gentlemen in a position to have insider(ish) intel would both make such a mistake at the same time.
T-Mobile G2 WiFi calling and tethering update begins rolling out today?
Get ready G2 owners because it looks like an OTA update will begin distribution on November 3rd (yes, that's today) to flip the switch on WiFi tethering and T-Mobile's WiFi Calling for Android feature. The anticipated update lets G2 owners make voices calls and send SMS messages from WiFi networks without a femtocell thus conserving their monthly contractual network allotments -- something that could prove very beneficial at home. It also includes WiFi hotspot tethering (a native part of the Android 2.2 Froyo OS) although T-Mobile won't have data plans ready at the same time. In other words, enjoy your free WiFi tethering while it lasts.
T-Mobile offering unlimited tethering 'this holiday season' as $15 add-on
This one comes as no surprise, but T-Mobile has announced today that the availability of tethering and WiFi hotspot capabilities for "select smartphones" in its lineup in time for the holidays -- and as is often the case with Big Magenta, they're offering the service at a much more aggressive price point than its larger competitors: $14.99 a month on top of your $30 unlimited data plan buys you unlimited tethering on T-Mobile's glorious HSPA+ network (and in its non-HSPA+ areas as well, of course). We still don't know whether this'll start to roll out on November 3rd as was rumored, but that'd be a nice way to get into the holiday spirit, wouldn't it? Don't get us wrong -- we'd prefer if they offered it for free as part of your $30 package, but in our post-apocalyptic world of streaming video and incessant browsing on the go, that just wasn't gonna happen. Separately, T-Mobile is also announcing an alternative to that $30 smartphone data: a new 200MB plan clocking in at $10 on a new two-year deal or $15 a month without a contract extension. As you might imagine, tethering isn't available with this one -- we suspect it's just an answer to the new fad adopted by AT&T and Verizon of offering a tiny-bucket data plan alongside your regular gluttonous-bucket package.